Parasitoids physiology, development and behaviour | Boln. Asoc. esp. Ent. 21 (Supl.) | 1997
Artificial culture of the pupa! parasitoid Brachymeria intermedia (Nees) (Hymenoptera, Chalcididac) on oligidic diets
M.L. Diiido, R. Farneti & G. Gardenghi
ABSTRACT
The results so far obtained in The in vitro rearing of Brachymeria intermedia. a polyphagous soliTary endoparasiToid of lepidopTerous pupae, are briefly illustrated. This chalcidid was developed from the egg To The adulT stage on oligidic inedia containing commercial veal homogenaTes for babies as The main ingredient either wiTh or withouT hosT componenTs. Some of The media also conTained chicken egg yolk, yeasT extracT and wheat germ. The percenTage yields of adults. based on The number of eggs placed on The dieT was as high as 53% on the media integraTed with 10% hosT materia] and 44% on the hosT maTerial-free media. AdulTs were fecund. B. intermedia may be comparatively easy To rear in vitro because of the simple physiological inTeracTion exisTing between This parasiToid and iTs host.
